Nowadays majority of Outlook users are well-knowing about two Outlook storage files i.e. OST and PST files. OST files are the copy of data that is stored on Exchange server whereas PST files contain complete data of Outlook with all its items and are archived on local machine. However, wide range of Outlook user wants to copy OST file to PST file for accomplishing their tasks.

Necessity of Copying Outlook Files in Outlook

Following are the reasons due to which users want to copy complete data from offline storage files to personal storage files:

Issue Related to Synchronization: At time of working with OST file, an interruption occurs when OST file is being synchronized with the server. These files require decryption key of Outlook profiles for opening the encrypted file. If one forgets that key, then OST file will be inaccessible.
Corruption In Offline Storage Files: Due to power failure of machine, virus attack, improper synchronization, etc., the OST files gets corrupted or damaged. Therefore, to create a backup of OST files, user finds it reliable to copy all offline data in PST file format.
Problem if OST Size Limit Exceed: There are variations in size limit value of different Outlook versions. The performance of Outlook decreases if the size reaches or crosses the size limit. Therefore, it is advised to users to make a copy of offline storage file to personal storage file in order to prevent the performance degradation.
MAPI Profile Restriction in OST File: If the authentication procedure fails, then user will be unable to access OST file & its content because OST file is restricted with MAPI profile.

Different Strategies To Copy OST File in Outlook 2013

Outlook user can go for any one of the following two strategies for exporting complete data of OST file into Outlook PST file:

Strategy 1: Copying Data With MS Outlook Options

This strategy involves three approaches with help of which Outlook users can copy OST files to PST file format on their machine itself:

Using Archive Option For Conversion
MS Outlook comprises of an Archive option, which enable users to copy items to pst file format. To do the same, follow the below-mentioned procedure:

1). Launch MS Outlook application on your machine and click on File tab
2). From list of File menu, click on Cleanup Tools option >> Archive >> Archive this folders and all subfolders option.
3). From the current window, click on Browse option and choose a path for storing the resultant file
Using Export Option in MS Outlook
4). This measure does not export the emails of OST file. However, it converts calendar and contacts of Outlook in Excel or CSV file format respectively. Generally, this option is not recommended to Outlook users for such conversion since it is not a suitable option to convert OST to PST files.

Creating a New MS Outlook PST File

This is a three-step procedure for exporting complete data of OST files into PST file format. Go through the following steps to perform conversion:

Launch MS Outlook on your system
Create a new PST file in your profile
Drag the folder that is to be converted in PST file

Limitations of Manual Strategies

The procedure does not guarantees that the data will remain intact while conversion
It does not collectively converts emails, contacts, calendar, etc., into PST file format
The approach is tedious, time consuming, and not reliable for large amount of data
If user is not having any technical knowledge about Outlook, then they will be unable to understand the procedure.

Strategy 2: Copying Data Using Third Party Software

For overcoming the limitations of manual approach and become aware of a standalone solution to copy OST file to PST is by knowing about third-party products, which are particularly originated to convert OST files PST file format. One such product is OST to PST Converter, which smartly perform OST to PST file conversion. The tool converts all the attachments associated with emails and other Outlook items within just few clicks. The fundamental characteristic of this product is that it restores all the deleted data from source OST file & convert all data into PST file format without any data loss. Moreover, there are many other useful conversion features by which user can easily convert Outlook storage file

Conclusion

In order to safeguard Outlook data, it is important to keep a backup of OST file in PST file format. If user is having less data for conversion, then they can perform conversion using manual tricks, but when it comes to conversion of bulk amount of data then user should always prefer using a third party solution i.e. OST to PST converter. This converter can be recommended because it is the best solution to copy OST file to PST file without any data loss and with an ease.

How to Copy OST File in Outlook 2013